Yesterday’s News…

Share a Button

Okay, not really cheese. Just a creamy dream that makes you wonder why you ever needed cheese in the first place.

Vegan cookbook author, Dreena Burton, graciously let me reprint her recipe here. This was just too good not to share. You’ll need:

10 oz pasta ( I used elbow)

¾ cup raw cashews

½ cup raw Brazil nuts

3 TB lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 clove garlic

2 tsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp mustard powder

1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk

1 cup water*

¾ cup bread crumbs

1 TB olive oil

Dreena offers nut-free options, so check out her sitefor alternatives. The ingredients I’ve listed are the ones that I used.

While you are cooking pasta according to instructions, preheat oven to 375°. Pasta should be al dente. Do not rinse once it’s finished. Combine nuts, milk, water, juice and seasonings in blender. Puree until smooth. Note: *I do not have a Vitamix or other crazy powerful blender. So I soaked the cashews and Brazil nuts in water for three hours beforehand and drained them. If you choose to do this, adjust water to half a cup as the nuts will absorb a fair amount. If you aren’t accustomed to using almond milk, make sure to buy unsweetened and unflavored. I know many, many people who accidentally bought vanilla almond milk because the packaging is virtually identical. Hey, Blue Diamond, use a different color. Stop ruining lives.

I used the juice of a Meyer lemon, from my gorgeous supply from Girl Gone Grits’ plentiful bounty, now legendary among Austin foodies. Thank you, Kristina!

When blended, combine the sauce with pasta in a 8 x 12 lightly oiled baking dish. It will be runny and saucy, but don’t fret. The starchy pasta will thicken and absorb the sauce. Mix the breadcrumbs and olive oil and sprinkle over the pasta. I use a light touch with the breadcrumbs, but if you are into it, use more!

Cover with foil and bake for 15-18 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another five minutes or so to brown the breadcrumbs.

If you wait a few minutes, you’ll be able to cut a better slice. But it’s hard not to just scoop it out and taste it right away. Both are okay! I am so impressed with how great this recipe is. Easy, too. I’ve made it a few times and it’s perfect each time. Dreena is a master of vegan recipes. Check out her lastest book, Let Them Eat Vegan and definitely make this.